


Written Smitten

by moonbands



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: AU, Cashton, Fluff, M/M, and let me tell you Michael is a HOOT, calum is really gay for ashton, i think its fluff, novelist!Calum, university!5sos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-12
Updated: 2016-08-12
Packaged: 2018-08-08 10:08:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7753501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonbands/pseuds/moonbands
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Calum bumps into a very attractive boy and finds himself confusing the boy's name for the love interest's name in his novel.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Written Smitten

Calum shuts his laptop, his eyes burning as he closes them, white spots making him dizzy. He opens his eyes again to look at the clock next to him, realizing it's 4 am. He groans and sets his laptop on the ground, plugging it in to charge. He wipes his eyes with one hand as the other takes off his glasses, setting them on the nightstand next to his bed. He lays down and pulls the covers up over his shoulders, squishing the excess blanket into his chest as something to cuddle.

He closes his eyes, the white spots dancing behind his eyelids as pictures form of the characters from his novel. His thoughts are taken over by what he can write, and he's not sure which direction he wants to take his novel. He's got no more ideas, but the deadline for the next chapter is in three days.

As he worries about what to write, he slowly drifts off to sleep, hearing the birds start to chirp through the glass of his window.

 

Calum wakes up with a start as he hears a buzzing alarm go off. He looks around before remembering he has to get up early because he signed up for an 8 am class. He hits the snooze button before sitting up, putting his glasses on. He switches the alarm to off, picking up his toothbrush and toothpaste, slipping his favorite brown, fluffy slippers onto his feet.

He feels like a zombie as he stumbles over a few pieces of clothes on the floor, his eyelids half open. He doesn't bother being quiet as he walks past his dorm roommate, Michael, knowing that the boy sleeps through anything once he's out. 

Calum opens the door to their room, his slippers treading softly on the carpeted hallway as he shuts the door behind him. He listens to the quietness of early morning in a university dormitory as he makes his way to the end of the hallway, opening the bathroom door.

His slippers stick to the tiled floor, and he almost slips on a puddle of water just as he gets inside. Calum hears the shower running and soft singing, expecting it. "Hey, Luke," he greets the boy in the shower.

"Hi, Calum," Luke replies through the very last shower curtain, where he is every day at the same time. Calum has learned that Luke's schedule is a fairly normal schedule besides the intense swim practice very early in the morning. Luke prefers showering in the dorm though because he likes the peace and quiet, at least up until when Calum comes in to brush his teeth every other day.

Calum likes listening to Luke sing as he brushes his teeth, looking at himself in the mirror. He realizes he hasn't shaved in a few days, so there's slightly more hair than usual on his face. He also notices he needs a haircut, his curls falling into his eyes inside of his glasses. He spits out the toothpaste in the sink, rinsing out his mouth by cupping his hands and also spitting that into the sink. He smiles in the mirror, slightly giggling to himself as he turns away.

"See you later, Luke," Calum says before leaving the bathroom but not before hearing a singsong "bye!" from Luke.

Normally, Calum would chat with the swimmer a little longer about random things like school and parties, but Calum didn't feel like looking at a white plastic curtain for the next few minutes, especially when he's only gotten a few hours of sleep. Calum has seen Luke before when he got out of the shower, but he's always going to remember Luke as that white plastic curtain.

Calum flips his toothpaste in his hand as he walks down the hallway, almost dropping it as a door flies open, hitting his shoulder. "Oh, God! Sorry!" someone apologizes quickly. Calum looks up and sees another pair of glasses looking at him. What really gets him are the two hazel eyes that seem to pop out at him through the glasses. The next thing he sees are the giant biceps of the man in front of him, but he rapidly fixes his gaze back up to the eyes so that the stranger doesn't notice Calum checking him out.

"It's okay," Calum eventually assures, patting the guy on the shoulder as he walks past him.

"Close the fucking door!" Calum hears from inside the room the stranger is standing in the doorway of. Calum sees the light brown curls swish as the boy turns to shut the door, whipping back around to catch up with Calum who was a few steps away.

"Sorry, annoying roommate," the boy apologizes again. "I'm Ashton," he introduces himself, sticking out a hand, watching as Calum shakes it.

"Calum," he replies, feeling a little more awake now that he's been slapped by a door because of this ridiculously cute boy. He can't believe how friendly Ashton is and this early in the morning.

"Are you going to a class?" Ashton asks before glancing down at Calum's pajamas.

Calum looks down at his own Mickey Mouse pajama pants and gray tank top before pointing to the door that holds his room on the other side. "I'm going to change first, but yeah."

"I definitely could've seen you wearing those clothes to a class. Could you tell I'm going to the gym?" Ashton asks as he gestures towards his ensemble of an outfit. Calum laughs as he looks at the obvious gym clothes: a muscle tee and basketball shorts with tennis shoes on the feet.

Calum stops at his door, pushing on the handle and opening it slightly. "If you wait just a second, I'll walk with you to the gym. My class isn't too far away," Calum suggests, feeling heat creep up on his neck as he waits for an answer.

A cute blush runs over Ashton's cheeks as he nods. "Yeah, okay. I'll wait out here." He steps back and leans on the wall on the other side of the hallway, watching as Calum scoots inside his room.

Calum rushes around in his room, setting the toothpaste and toothbrush down. He pulls out a pair of baggy shorts and a random t-shirt, slipping them on and shoving his shoes into a pair of sandals. He grabs his laptop from the floor and the classic book from his nightstand. He trips over the same clothing as he skips back out to the hallway, where he finds Ashton looking at the pattern on the floor.

"That was fast," Ashton acknowledges, already stepping away as Calum shuts his door.

"I told you it was just going to be a second," Calum replies, taking in Ashton's stride easily. "What classes are you taking? Like, what's your major?"

Ashton holds open the door to the outside for Calum, and he feels a slightly chilly breeze in the morning air. "I'm an art major, so I'm taking stuff like the Study of Fine Arts and Techniques for Artists. I'm also taking a music class, hence the fine arts, and I really like it so far."

"Really? What kind of class is it? Like, do you learn music theory, or do you play instruments?" Calum asks, curious now about the possible classes he could be taking in the future. It sounds interesting as a writer.

"It started off as a history class. First semester, we learned about instruments and where they came from and when they were made. But since it's second semester, they bring in new instruments every week and let us play them. We have to use rhythm and note sheets, but sometimes we'll sit in a big circle and play whatever we want as long as it fits with the other musicians," Ashton explains. His eyes light up as he talks about it, and Calum can tell that art is where he should be.

"That sounds like a cool class."

"Yeah, it is," Ashton agrees. "What's your major, then?"

"I'm an English major. I've always wanted to be a writer," Calum concludes, watching as the gym building grows nearer. The sun is shining softly on the two of them, and they can see a few trickles of people here and there around campus.

"So you're taking a bunch of creative writing classes then?" Ashton supplies, shoving his hands in his pockets. Calum guesses that's a nervous habit.

"And literature classes. Can't be a good writer if you don't read." Calum stops and turns to Ashton when they meet the door to the gym. Ashton does the same, meeting Calum's eyes.

"Guess this is my stop," Ashton says quietly, his words being swept away by the breeze. "I'll see you again sometime," he offers.

"Yeah, it was nice meeting you. Maybe I'll see you a few days from now for my next morning class," Calum suggests. He turns and waves at the same time, his laptop and book switching to one hand. He starts walking away, a small smile on his face.

"Later, Calum!" Ashton yells after him. Calum turns around and chuckles softly at Ashton wiggling his fingers in a wave.

Calum is only gone for a few seconds before he hears footsteps running up behind him. He looks at the person next to him as they slow down to a walk. "Actually, the door was locked, so I wondered if I could walk you to your class instead?" Ashton asks. Calum smiles brightly.

"Of course!"

 

"Who is this new character in your latest chapter?" Calum's editor asks him a few days later through the speaker of his cell phone.

"What new character?" Calum questions, confused. He doesn't remember writing about a new character, but he does remember finding a new plot. After talking to Ashton, he decided that his characters needed more flexibility. They needed to experience more things out of life that wasn't each other, and bring that information together to help each other go through their individual tough situations.

"Well, the love interest, Casey, seems to have taken on a new name," his editor answers. "Ashton?"

Calum mutes himself before groaning very loudly with his face in his hands. He picks the phone back up and unmutes himself, apologizing immediately. "I'm so sorry. It's a guy I just met recently, and he's been giving me ideas for my novel. You can change his name back to Casey if you want, or I could do it. I didn't mean to," Calum ends sort of childishly.

The editor laughs on the other end of the line. "It's okay, Calum. We all make mistakes. You can change his name, and send me another draft by the end of the day. I'll change anything that you missed, like I always do. It's no big deal."

Sometimes Calum feels like his editor is his best friend.

"Thank you so much. I'll have that sent to you as soon as I'm done."

Calum hangs up and lays down, putting his phone against his chest and staring at the ceiling. He's only known Ashton for a few days, but he's already creeping into his stories.

"Whose name did you use?" Calum hears from across the room, making him jump. He whips his head around to find his roommate looking through their mini fridge before pulling out a slice of cheese, looking at it as if considering eating it, then putting it back in the fridge.

"Uh, Ashton's," Calum answers. "Where'd you come from?" Calum doesn't remember seeing Michael walk in.

"You mean that dude that walks you to your class on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays?" Michael ignores Calum's question. He takes out a half eaten sandwich and sticks it in his mouth, pulling out a can of soda to drink with it. He turns and walks over to Calum's bed, sitting on the edge.

"How do you know? I thought you were asleep," Calum questions, watching as Michael takes a huge bite of his sandwich.

"Yer pfretty loud 'n the morningsh," Michael says with a full mouth. He swallows and smiles at Calum. "Can't sleep with all that noise you make."

"Sorry," Calum apologizes sheepishly. "Yeah, Ashton is the guy."

"I see him around a lot. He's usually in the gym when I go to my morning class on Thursdays," Michael rambles. "He's, like, an endorphin junky or something. Have you seen his arms? He could probably lift an elephant with his pinky."

Calum has tuned out by now, but something brings him back. "Wait, what time is your morning class?"

"7:30. Worst decision I've ever made. I hate waking up that early." Michael takes a sip from his soda, looking at Calum carefully as the darker boy's face grows with a confused expression. "What?"

"The gym doors are locked before 8," Calum informs Michael.

"No, they're not. The gym opens at, like, 6 every morning."

Calum thinks back to the day he met Ashton. "Ashton told me the doors were locked when we first walked to my class together. That was around 7:30."

Michael bites into his sandwich, his eyes wandering around their room. He lets out a gasp as something occurs to him. He swallows quickly, staring at Calum. "He likes you, bro! That's why he lied. He wanted an excuse to walk with you."

Calum feels his face heat up. That seems so logical. "Really? You think?" Calum asks, reaching up to brush his curls out from behind his glasses. Now he doesn't feel so bad for checking Ashton out every time they meet up.

"You should ask him out," Michael suggests. He finishes his sandwich, wiping the crumbs from his fingers onto his jeans.

"But, like, where? What would we do?" Calum wonders out loud. All he's ever talked to Ashton about is school. Yeah, he's made a few jokes here and there, but that's hardly something to go off of. What does Ashton like?

"I don't know. I'm not the one that walks with him to class." Michael chugs his soda, biting the edge of the can as silence consumes the both of them thinking.

"He likes music," Calum remembers. "What can we do with music?"

Michael immediately lights up. "You can go see a local band or something. Like, there's this place on campus that lets bands play every Friday night. My friend, Luke, and I have played there a few times."

Calum smiles brightly. "Yeah! Okay, I'll ask him out."

 

Calum pushes up his glasses, his eyes finally getting to him. His computer screen is bright and burning at, what time is it? 7 am. Calum feels his exhausted body slouch in dread as he realizes his alarm will go off any minute. He was up all night writing the next chapter of his novel, sparked with inspiration just around his normal bed time.

Calum jumps as his alarm goes off even though he was expecting it. He turns it off, dragging his body out of bed to do his semi-daily morning routine.

In the bathroom, he took in his appearance as he had his usual conversation with Luke. "Shit, I look like shit," he said more to himself, but Luke heard him.

Calum sees Luke's head pop out from behind the last shower curtain, shampoo still foamy by his ears as he looks at Calum. "Shit, man, you do," he agrees before going back to showering. "Did you sleep at all last night?"

"No," Calum sighs, turning on the faucet and splashing his face with water. "And I'm supposed to ask someone out today," he says pitifully.

"You mean that Ashton dude?" Luke questions.

Calum remembers now how much he talks about Ashton to Luke. He doesn't remember, however, telling Luke he was going to ask him out.

"How'd you guess?" Calum mumbles, not liking that everyone he knows is in on his personal life.

"Well, you only talk about him every time you're in here. You were bound to develop a crush on him at some point."

Calum chuckles a little bit, agreeing with the blond. "Alright, well, wish me luck," he says, walking towards the bathroom door.

"Good luck!" Luke calls after him as Calum exits, his voice echoing and bouncing off the tiles.

Calum reaches his door, his hand clutching his toothpaste and toothbrush, when he hears the latch of the door from behind him. He turns around and sees Ashton coming out of his room, smiling at Calum when their eyes meet. Calum holds up his finger, indicating that he'll just be a minute, before he slips inside his room, moving to change for the day.

Now that he knows Michael is awake when he gets ready, he's not surprised when he hears Michael's muffled voice from the bed next to his. "Go get 'em, tiger!"

"Thanks, Mikey," Calum says appreciatively. He opens his door with his laptop and book in tow, ready to face the handsome and muscular man that is Ashton.

Calum melts a little bit when he shuts the door to his room behind him. Ashton is leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, his head resting to the side, his rather long, curly fringe falling over his glasses. His biceps are big in the crossed position they are in over Ashton's chest, and Calum thinks the look is complete with Ashton's toned calves on display with his basketball shorts.

"Hi," Calum greets quietly, watching as Ashton opens his eyes, an instant smile appearing on his face when he sees Calum.

"Good morning," Ashton says just as quietly, and then they're off towards Calum's first class.

When Ashton opens the door for Calum this time, Calum revels in the fact that it's so intimate with him being so close to Ashton as he steps through the doorway to the outside. They don't step away from each other as they walk, their arms grazing together with each step they take.

Calum feels his nerves spike up as he sees the gym building across campus, and he doesn't want the silence to go on any longer. "So, you like music, right?" he asks, just as quietly as when they were inside, but this time being swept away by the early morning wind.

"I love music," Ashton replies.

"Have you ever heard any local bands play before?" Calum turns to glance at Ashton, who is already looking at him. Calum averts his gaze again.

"Yeah, actually. I'm into finding new acts and supporting local groups. There's a club that I go to to listen to artists from our university every Friday." Ashton shoves his hands in his pockets, and Calum turns to look at him again. He sees something flash in Ashton's eyes as they make eye contact, and Calum swears Ashton's cheeks turn pink.

"My roommate was telling me about that place," Calum adds, as if it wasn't the point of this conversation. He feels like his task has gotten considerably easier, yet tougher.

"I was just thinking on Wednesday," Ashton kicks a rock under his foot, "Y'know, if you wanted to join me tonight to, like, see some bands."

And then Calum forgets how to walk and trips on his own feet. Ashton immediately reaches out to catch him, grabbing Calum's wrist to avoid him dropping the book with one hand and his back with the other, spinning Calum around to face him. Ashton is dipping Calum in the middle of a sidewalk because Calum tripped, and they're staring straight into each other's eyes with their faces a few inches away and Calum's laptop squeezed between them, and it's so cliche that Calum wants to barf because his novelist self would have never pictured something like this to happen to himself.

Calum's clumsy foot gets stuck in his mouth as he comments, "way to woo someone."

Calum thinks Ashton can't become any redder as he helps Calum back on his feet. "I, um, it wasn't supposed to happen like this, uh," Ashton babbles in some sort of apology.

"It's okay," Calum laughs, collecting himself before patting Ashton on the arm. Calum tries not to let his eyes linger on Ashton's muscles. "I'd love to see you tonight."

And then Ashton's smiling at Calum, his cheeks a healthy pink, and Calum thinks it's the most dazzling smile he's ever seen.

Calum also saw that same smile under the soft lights of the club as a loud local band was piercing their eardrums, but they didn't care because they had just shared a small kiss when they found their noses to brush together as they both turned to look at one another. And Calum doesn't seem to mind when his editor calls him yet again about how Ashton's name slipped into his writing after he sent in another chapter. He can't help it if he's smitten with a boy who lies about gym times.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, tell me what you think! This is my last fic before school starts again, so idk when my next one is gonna appear. 
> 
> And if you're a fellow writer, I'm always open to looking at your works and giving feedback!


End file.
